Magnus Abe has dared former
governor of the state, Chibuike Amaechi, and other leaders of the All
Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State, stating that the battle for who
flies the party’s flag for the 2019 governorship election in the state has just
begun.

He blamed the Transportation
Minister, Amaechi, for the crisis rocking the state’s APC.

Abe emerged the candidate of the
party in a direct primary conducted in the state by the Peter Odike-led APC.

He rejected the adoption of Tonye
Cole as the governorship candidate of the APC by the National Working
Committee, NWC, of the party.

Abe spoke in Port Harcourt,
Rivers State, weekend, following Cole’s adoption based on the report of the
Governorship Primaries Committee that supervised the indirect process in the
state.

The Ogoni-born lawmaker said, “I
am sure you are all aware of the current decision of the NWC of our party which
accepted the report that returned Tonye Cole elected, based on the indirect
primary conducted in the state.

“The battle has just begun. The party
has set up an appeal. We will take advantage of the appeal panel and forward
our case.

“The result of the indirect
primary remains unacceptable and will remain unacceptable. The indirect primary
was a charade set up by a few individuals to bring in their candidate. We will
not accept that result.

“We are now faced with a fact
that a man who just joined the party can claim to be a candidate of the party.
This is against the wish of everybody who has worked for the party.

“I don’t have anything against
Tonye Cole because he is my friend. But we are politicians and we are fighting
for justice. Without truth there can be no justice and without justice there
can be no peace.

“This is the situation we have
talked and warned about, when the Minister of Transportation called a meeting
of the party and started the event that has resulted to this.”